New Zealand’s ‘strongest man’ jailed for road rage bashing

Dale Shepherd was crowned New Zealand’s strongest man last year, but yesterday he was sentenced to 21 months’ jail for beating up a motorist in road rage incident.

At sentencing in the Auckland District Court yesterday, Judge Duncan Harvey said the beating Shepherd meted out to a 30-year-old motorist on a suburban street was the sort the community had become “sick and tired of”.

In April last year Shepherd, 40, was driving up a narrow, steep road in the Auckland suburb of Kohimarama. He drove up behind a car travelling about 35kmh and, in a hurry, overtook. Not long after, the two cars had a minor accident, the judge said.

Shepherd got out of his car, yelling at the other driver. He punched the man in the head multiple times. Shepherd grabbed the man, pulled him out of his car, flung him over the bonnet of his own vehicle while continuing to punch him.

Witnesses intervened to stop the attack.

The man was taken to hospital with severe bruising and cuts. Judge Harvey said the victim had to take two weeks off work to recover.

Shepherd’s lawyer Eleanor Harrison said the violence was “uncharacteristic”.

Shepherd is allowed to apply for home detention. At least then he can only beat himself up there. Visitor’s had better not piss him though otherwise he might “uncharacteristically” bash them.